look like the innocent flower
by imafangirlforever
Summary: ...but be the serpent under't. In a world of alchemy, revolt plots, and civil unrest, Colonel Shouto Todoroki and Lieutenant Momo Yaoyorozu must find a way to preserve the peaceful regime of All Might. Unfortunately, the Homunculi are lurking. And they've already taken action. "I wonder...who is the traitor?" [Fullmetal Alchemist AU] [TRAITOR THEORIES WOOO]
1. Chapter 1

**Okay, _yo,_ this literally has way too many bnha ships (even conflicting ones). Todomomo-centric, but you'll see others pop up.**

 **All the encouraging people in the todomomo server are going to be the death of me.**

 **I don't own BNHA.**

* * *

In his childhood, when Shouto dreamt of becoming an alchemist, he imagined defeating evildoers and saving civilians like the tales his mother used to tell him. He never dreamt of bringing honor to the family, of proving himself worthy of the Todoroki name, of his name reverently spoken over drinks, and of a brilliant future filled with glorious victory.

Shouto never needed that. He never cared for that. He never _wanted_ that.

He just wanted to _help._

He dreamt of children who would thank him for saving their parents life; he dreamt of the poor who could lead better lives in peacetime. He dreamt of a world where love, compassion, and kindness didn't have to be snuffed out because they were considered "weak" or "useless."

Shouto did not dream of tears, loss, anger, and despair. He did not dream of the futile battles in which he fought to live, not protect. He did not dream...no, he never quite _realized_ that there would be blood on his hands.

Before him was nothing but an obscure cloud of smoke. Black specks of ash fell upon his navy blue uniform like gentle snow, but he paid no mind to them. Shouto stumbled past a pile of rubble, his soot-covered hands reaching out and _searching._ The thin layer of frost covering his fingertips suddenly burst into action, travelling down the devastated city block and covering the grimy street with ice.

Revitalized, Shouto continued to make his way down the street with renewed vigor, pushing past rubble and coughing. "Bakugou," he called, carefully stepping over a piece of demolished concrete. "Bakugou, I know you're there."

To his relief, he heard a cough resound from underneath the remains of the ruined building. "Fucking snipers," his fellow alchemist cursed, looking rather unfazed as he threw a rock off himself towards the side. The blonde grumbled under his breath, attempting to pick out the pieces of plaster in his hair. "I hate fucking snipers _._ They always have to pick the tall buildings. Shitty bastards just want to make themselves harder to catch."

"That's what snipers typically do," Shouto deadpanned, unimpressed by the Explosions Alchemist's stellar vocabulary. He glanced around the building, unable to detect any signs of life; even so, Shouto remained vigilant, his right glove off and prepared to freeze anything at the slightest notice. His left glove, as always, remained on but firmly useless.

Bakugou's cold eyes, which so severely contradicted his fiery personality, were a jarring reminder of their situation. They were State Alchemists at _war._

"This fucking _sucks,"_ Bakugou complained, kicking at a rock. His voice lowered. "I didn't sign up to be an alchemist so that those government bastards would ship me off to do their dirty work."

"What did you expect?" Shouto couldn't help but ask.

Bakugou sent him a disbelieving look, shoving his hands into the pockets of his long, dark blue trench coat. If Shouto looked closer, he could make out the faint glint of silver. They had all been issued their special State Alchemist uniforms only a few days prior: it was easier to identify the amount of significant casualties, then. "I don't know," Bakugou growled. "But not _this._ I didn't sign up to fuck over some weak bastards who can't even fight. I thought I was gonna actually fight someone halfway decent at fighting."

Shouto, too accustomed to the crude alchemist's speech, automatically translated the words in his head. It was Bakugou's way of expressing his distaste for murdering civilians; despite his abrasive nature, Bakugou never wanted to be a villain _(a war hero)_. He just wanted to be a hero.

Shouto let out a noncommittal hum, glancing upwards at the sky in hopes that it was dark enough for them to return to camp. Although he tolerated and (dare he say it?) _enjoyed_ Bakugou's company (on rare occasions), Shouto felt unease well in his chest. Something about today had been _far_ too easy: they had only encountered one Ishvalan alchemist in the early morning. The alchemist had been weak; Bakugou was more than enough to defeat him while Shouto evacuated the civilians.

"Oh, sure. Bite me with your fucking holier-than-thou attitude, Pacifist Alchemist."

Shouto's lips curled downwards. Although "Pacifist Alchemist" was hardly his official epithet, the moniker had stuck after soldiers witnessed him evacuating several civilians: people quickly realized that Shouto actively avoided causing direct harm to civilians and the landscape if possible, which was how the title was born. Although he didn't particularly _mind_ it, he knew that his father would be less than pleased. Endeavor had always favored the logical, quickest, and most efficient solution. It was a trait to be both admired and feared.

But Shouto...Shouto wanted to use his Ice Alchemy for _good,_ if possible. He didn't want the alchemy that his mother had so lovingly taught him to be used for murder.

"I'm called the Freezing Alchemist."

"Yeah, yeah. Pacifist," Bakugou snorted, the fight in him essentially sapping away as he squinted at the sun. "How much longer? Two hours? Three hours? You think the old geezer would care if we came back early?"

Shouto considered the notion logically, then replied, "Brigadier-General Aizawa won't care, but the troops will."

Bakugou looked like he was about to launch into a tirade about how he didn't give a shit about the morale of the troops, but surprisingly closed his mouth and decided against it. Even the often-irate Explosions Alchemist knew the importance of maintaining the all-powerful image of Amestris' State Alchemists: they were the elite of the elite. Every country had their set of state alchemists; if their alchemists were weak, then it reflected badly on the country's strength.

Instead of blowing up, Bakugou narrowed his eyes and searched the perimeter. Shouto took that as a signal that they were going back to work; immediately, the Freezing Alchemist exhaled, shutting his eyes. A flurry of cool air sent the dust flying once more, ice forming in the cracks of the broken buildings; as instructed, it was a way for Amestris to quickly mark its newly acquired territory until the troops could advance and secure the area.

While Shouto had been securing the premises, his fellow alchemist had climbed onto one of the piles of concrete blocks in order to survey more of the area. They quickly fell into their usual after-battle routine: Shouto was to search for survivors, while Bakugou was to check for enemies. Although they had their differences, the two alchemists moved as a single movement flawlessly with an ease acquired only through weeks and weeks of practice.

Silence presided over the clearing for several minutes until Bakugou let out an annoyed grunt. "Fuck," he cursed, drawing Shouto's attention immediately. The ice user quickly strode over to the rubble, climbing up the pile with relative ease. His eyes surveyed the area, searching for what Bakugou might have seen, when they landed upon a group of badly-concealed soldiers approaching the west.

"They're heading for the camp," Shouto concluded, already halfway down the pile of rubble as he rushed through the street. They rounded the corner, intent on stopping the squadron of soldiers when—

" _Half-and-half!"_

Shouto had barely a second's warning before Bakugou literally _launched_ over to him and knocked him to the ground, a bullet whizzing over his head. "Fuck, it's an ambush!" Bakugou cursed, scrambling off of him and ducking behind a piece of rubble. "Fuck, fuck, fuck…"

Shouto found his voice. "We're sitting ducks out here; we need to find cover," he murmured under his breath, examining the fallen bullet. "But where?"

"Less thinking, more fighting. Get on your feet!" Bakugou barked, clapping his hands and slamming them into the ground. Shouto knew what that meant; immediately, he scrambled away, Bakugou at his heels as the ground exploded behind them. The dust kicked up by the explosion was enough cover to give them a few seconds of respite.

Suddenly, the air felt warmer, the frost nipping at Shouto's fingertips melting away. A ferocious gale of wind blew away the smoke, exposing their location.

"There's an alchemist," Shouto realized. "Two alchemists, perhaps."

And if the previous move had been any indication, it wasn't a coincidence that the enemy alchemists had the type of alchemy to directly counter theirs. Bakugou and Shouto had grown rather notorious amongst the alchemy world. They were in an open area, surrounded by snipers and enemy alchemists who they couldn't even _spot._

All in all, Bakugou summarized their shitty situation rather pleasantly. "We're fucked."

An onslaught of bullets flew over their heads; immediately, Shouto formed a protective wall of ice, only for it to melt away again. Bakugou cursed, dragging him behind a stone pillar before he could get shot. The rocks in the explosion-user's hands morphed into his ever-trustworthy grenades; it wouldn't be enough.

Shouto's mind raced at lightning-quick speeds. Was this how he would die? Covered in soot, in the middle of a foreign country beside his loudmouth companion? He couldn't die: Shouto _wouldn't_ die until he ensured that everyone _(his siblings, his mother)_ could live peaceful, prosperous lives. What could he do?

It was almost comical how Endeavor's voice popped up in his mind; despite everything, he had learned many important things from his father. _Think logically. Survey the area first, Shouto. Think from the enemy's point of view. How would they strike you?_

 _Maybe...maybe I should…_

He glanced at his left hand.

Suddenly, a loud series of screams resounded. As quickly as they had started, they abruptly stopped. Bakugou and Shouto exchanged wary glances, but when the temperature suddenly died down, the Explosions Alchemist must have realized something. "Well, I'll be damned," Bakugou snorted, a smirk curving on his lips. There was an almost fond note to his voice. "The Hawk's Eye strikes again. Prissy bitch. She always had the best timing."

Shouto had heard of the epithet before. After all, soldiers talked. "The sniper, correct?" he question, tilting his head. "I heard that she's quite accurate."

"Accurate is an understatement," Bakugou countered grudgingly. "She never fucking misses, no matter the target nor the distance. She's probably at least a thousand meters from here."

Shouto sighed, nodding at him. "We should probably head back to camp and report about this to Brigadier-General Aizawa: that's two more alchemists down. If they're aiming for us, we probably shouldn't wander around here for too long."

"Fucking _finally,"_ Bakugou muttered under his breath, stalking off. "Come on, Half-and-Half. I'm sick of these fucking ruins."

* * *

To Bakugou's growing annoyance, they never made it back to the camp. Instead, they ran straight into the squadron of enemy soldiers they had spotted before; apparently, the fuckers weren't planted there simply for the ambush. The Ishvalan soldiers were busy engaging with a squadron of Amestrian soldiers: from the looks of it, the Amestrians were heavily injured and losing. Bakugou cursed, glancing to his left to where Half-and-Half stood.

He never understood why the alchemist was so fucking _calm._ It irritated Bakugou to no ends; no matter the situation, Colonel Shouto Todoroki always maintained his same annoying deadpan face. They were even on the brink of fucking _death_ minutes ago, and all the ice-user could do was stare apathetically at his hands!

"Shitty ice bastard," Bakugou grumbled. Then, louder, he declared, "HEY, YOU BASTARDS! GIVE ME A CHALLENGE, WILL YOU?" Immediately, heads turned to face him.

Unhesitatingly, Bakugou jumped into the fray, baring his teeth at the Ishvalan soldier in front of him. "Well? Come on," he invited, his fingertips itching to make things explode. "Let's do this."

* * *

"Thank you so much!"

Shouto blinked, unable to mask his surprise as he pivoted on his heel to face the bowing Amestrian soldier. He silently gestured for her to stop bowing, examining the soldier analytically. She was a petite girl, chestnut brown locks framing her cherubic face quite nicely. Her eyes sparkled with sincerity as a grateful smile graced her lips. "You and Lieutenant-Colonel Bakugou saved our lives, sir," she added.

"It's no problem…" Shouto said hesitantly. He wasn't used to interacting with anybody outside of their small group of State Alchemists. "Your name?"

The girl gasped, mortified. "My apologies, sir! I forgot to state my name and rank. First Lieutenant Ochako Uraraka! It's an honor to meet you, colonel."

"Just Shouto is fine," Shouto allowed. "Are...your squadmates alright, Lieutenant?"

"Then, just Ochako is fine. Or Uraraka, if you prefer that. Most of them are alright, although we should be heading back to camp as quickly as possible," she replied dutifully. Uraraka gestured to two soldiers to her right, who had been lingering awkwardly. "I think two of my friends would like to join the conversation. Meet Captain Tenya Iida and Second Lieutenant Izuku Midoriya."

"It's an honor," Iida, said, nodding his head. "Thank you for helping us. We were caught unprepared, and I hate to think of what might have happened without your assistance."

"Nice to meet you," Shouto offered. Then, he turned to the second lieutenant. "And you as well."

As if he couldn't hold back any longer, Midoriya blurted out, "You're the Freezing Alchemist, right? How exactly does your alchemy work? Does it work in all climates? How do you form the ice in the desert like this? I assume you use the water particles in the air, but it still doesn't explain how you—"

"Midoriya!" Iida hissed under his breath, jabbing the soldier with his elbow.

Midoriya blinked, then blushed when he realized the torrent of words that just escaped his mouth. "O-oh, I'm so sorry!" he stammered immediately. "Alchemy just fascinates me a lot, and I've heard so many stories about you—"

"Instead of focusing on Half-and-Half's alchemy, why don't you spend more time developing your hand-to-hand skills, Deku?"

As always, Bakugou's arrival was dramatic, his voice marked with annoyance as he literally _landed_ beside Shouto, having jumped off a stray boulder to intervene in the conversation. Shouto liked to think that the explosions-user could have done well in drama, but he couldn't imagine Bakugou spouting off Shakespeare with a straight face.

"Kacchan!" Midoriya exclaimed, a hesitant smile blooming on his face. "You were really cool out there."

Bakugou snorted. "I'm more than fucking cool," he declared arrogantly, crossing his arms over his chest and effectively cutting off whatever conversation they had going on. Shouto let out a long, suffering sigh.

"Bakugou…read the mood…"

"Well isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?" Bakugou shot back. "You can't socialize for your fucking _life,_ Half-and-Half. It's a miracle the guys back in the military academy didn't tell you to fuck off."

Shouto blinked, then tilted his head. He chose not to address the socializing jab as it _was_ somewhat true. Instead, he revealed, "I didn't attend military school."

" _Eh?"_ came the surprised voices of not only Bakugou, but also the other three soldiers.

"My father sent me to a private academy," Shouto explained. "The people there were very amiable."

Bakugou looked unconvinced. "You had _friends?"_

"I suppose," Shouto said slowly, "I had one friend."

Before any of them could respond, however, Shouto's eyes caught upon a shock of black hair approaching the group of soldiers. Plenty of people had black hair, but he could never forget that ponytail—

"Fucking finally, Hawk's Eyes!" Bakugou exclaimed, drawing her attention. "Taking your damn sweet time, weren't you? Where the hell were you during the scuffle?"

"I believe that was hardly a _scuffle,_ Lieutenant-Colonel Bakugou," came her voice, lined with amusement. "And I see that you all handled yourselves just fine."

Bakugou scoffed. "Yeah, whatever. Half-and-Half, meet—"

"Yaoyorozu?" Shouto asked, cutting off the explosions-user as his eyes drunk in her appearance. Yes, even though she was wearing the navy blue coat of the Amestris army and had cut her hair shorter, the woman standing before him was undeniably _Yaoyorozu._ His chest felt tight; it felt as if he could hardly breathe as his eyes remained steadily trained on hers.

Silence had fallen over the group. The female sniper pursed her lips together tightly, stepping forward.

"Todoroki," she acknowledged, her cool eyes softening the slightest fraction as they met his. Slowly, a smirk curved over her lips as she pushed a stray strand of ebony hair behind her ear. "Or...should I call you colonel, now?"

* * *

 **Did someone say FMA!BNHA and Royai!Todomomo? Mmhm. Lemme jump aboard that train(wreck). (jkjk I love it)**

 **Creative liberties, different plot, different characters, etc. You'll see some similarities to FMA but it's mostly just the world lol.**

 **Make no assumptions. No, seriously. Make no assumptions.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Replies to reviews incoming. I've been on vacation (still on vacation, actually) and haven't had the time until now to reply to all of you kind people 3**

* * *

Midoriya had always been an observant person. As one of the few who couldn't perform alchemy, he _had_ to be observant; that was the only way for him to ensure he'd prove himself useful enough to not be canon fodder. The non-alchemists, or "Quirkless," were one of the most marginalized Amestrian minorities, after all.

Most people in the world could perform alchemy of some sort. Everyone, from the lady down the street who created soap bubbles to help her do the laundry to the old man with an astounding disposition towards making little origami cranes to cheer up hospital patients, had at least some kind of mundane alchemy knowledge and skill that they passed on to their children.

Midoriya had been one of the few unlucky enough to be born with the inability to perform _any_ alchemy. He remembered the day he discovered he was Quirkless as if it was yesterday; his mother had fallen to her knees, weeping at his feet. After all, he had aspired more than anyone (well, _almost_ anyone) to become a State Alchemist to protect the people: Midoriya could still recite all of the elements in the periodic table without hesitation. He probably knew more theoretical knowledge about alchemy than some alchemists themselves.

Midoriya knew for a fact that he could've been a great alchemist had he been born with the ability to perform alchemy.

But he was Quirkless...and while there was a point in his life that Midoriya might have cursed himself for it, he had opened his eyes and _observed._

There...there were other ways of protecting civilians rather than alchemy. He could be a hero _without_ alchemy, even if being an alchemist was more ostentatious.

And so, Midoriya decided to use his observational skills for the betterment of society. After Kacchan, his next-door-neighbor and (perhaps?) childhood friend, had left to study alchemy and become a State Alchemist, Midoriya signed himself up for the military academy. To his delight, his instructors had agreed with Midoriya's assessments of himself and his potential.

Izuku Midoriya became a cavalry scout.

Admittedly, it was a risky job: cavalry scouts were tasked with not only reporting information on the terrain, weather, and enemy, but also navigating battlezones during combat to collect data and discover possible routes. As Brigadier-General Aizawa had told him when he first arrived on the Ishvalan front, he was essentially the eyes and ears of the commander.

Aizawa had assigned Midoriya to a small group of soldiers, citing that they were highly skilled and wouldn't slow him down in the slightest while he was scouting. Apparently, Midoriya's accurate field analysis skills had reached the top; he was _valued_ enough to be assigned what essentially amounted to guards.

Midoriya was glad that he didn't protest Aizawa's assignment: within weeks, Iida and Uraraka had become his closest friends. Though he was a captain and surely could have used his authority to ensure his own safety more, Iida prioritized the safety of those under his command. Both he and Uraraka had a strong sense of justice; rather than prioritizing killing the enemy, their unit often ended up performing what amounted to "search and rescue" missions. Iida's nearly god-like agility and Uraraka's Gravity Alchemy were perfect for saving civilians from the rubble, and the unit was small and close-knit enough to turn a blind eye to Uraraka's extraordinary alchemy usage.

Although there wasn't a rule banning soldiers from using their measly alchemy skills, using large and powerful alchemy was generally frowned upon because of its potential to wreak havoc on allies. Only State Alchemists were allowed to use flashy, powerful shows of alchemy.

From the data that he had extrapolated, Midoriya concluded that Uraraka probably could have made State Alchemist if her family had enough money to ship her off to one of the prestigious alchemy academies or even to simply cover her State Alchemist exam fee. It was such a shame...then again, if she had become a State Alchemist, he probably never would have met her.

"Oi, shitty Deku," Kacchan barked, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Why the fuck are you here?"

"Kacchan…" Midoriya searched for the correct words to say. Once upon a time, they had been close friends because of their similar aspirations to become State Alchemists. After he had discovered his inability to perform alchemy, though, the two had drifted apart; luckily (or perhaps, unluckily), Kacchan had transferred to an academy specializing in alchemy soon after. Although Midoriya had heard whispers of the infamous Explosions Alchemist with the motor mouth, this was the first time he had seen Kacchan in _years._

Kacchan _seemed_ the same as he was back then, although perhaps he was a little more weary and a little more _rough._ It seemed as if the war had taken its toll on all of them.

"That's...well…you see, um…" Midoriya mumbled, averting his gaze.

"You're fucking _Quirkless!"_ Kacchan hissed, as if _Quirkless_ amounted to useless; it probably did in his eyes.

Midoriya stared at his feet for a second too long before steeling himself. He looked up, his eyes blazing with resolve.

"I may be Quirkless," he replied quietly, his body involuntarily tensing as he and Kacchan engaged in a long staring contest. The alchemist's scarlet eyes were narrowed, disbelieving, and skeptical, nothing that Midoriya had not faced before. "But that doesn't mean I can't help."

Something flickered in Kacchan's eyes — surprise, perhaps? Whatever it was didn't matter; it was quickly replaced with thinly veiled (hah, more like _blatant)_ annoyance. "Yeah, whatever. Go off and fucking die if you want. Who gives a damn?" the alchemist muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Midoriya could practically _feel_ the probing gazes of Uraraka and Iida on him. "Um...do those two...know each other, Kacchan?" he asked nervously, attempting to change the subject. He gestured towards Colonel Todoroki and the raven-haired sniper in slight awe: Midoriya had followed both of their rising careers with extreme interest. To be able to stand alongside the renown Freezing Alchemist and Hawk's Eyes...frankly, Midoriya was honored.

Todoroki and Yaoyorozu had stepped away from the group to engage in a hushed, private conversation. None of them had dared to interrupt the two: they both exuded auras of leadership and _power_ that were slightly intimidating.

"Probably. I don't know; not surprised the icy bastard knows her. Rich kids…" Kacchan grumbled.

"Well...how do _you_ know them, then?" Iida asked, easily segueing into the conversation.

Kacchan sent him a disbelieving look. "That icy bastard's my partner for most missions."

Uraraka couldn't help but roll her eyes, clarifying, "He meant Lieutenant Yaoyorozu: the sniper unit hardly interacts with State Alchemists since they can handle themselves."

Kacchan adopted an almost contemplative look. "Most of the snipers are whiny bitches, but Hawk's Eyes is alright. She knows what she's doing, at the very least. She goes off on her own a lot, though; the fucking idiots like to send her off on higher-stakes missions by herself. I teamed up with her once or twice when we met on patrol."

Midoriya wasn't sure what was most concerning: the fact that the explosions-user called their higher-ups _fucking idiots_ or the fact that he called the snipers _whiny bitches._ Neither prospect spoke well for Amestris' future.

"If she's _that_ skilled...then why isn't she a higher rank?" Uraraka questioned, tilting her head.

Footsteps resounded. Midoriya couldn't help but jump when he realized that somebody was standing beside him. Ebony hair fell to her waist, having been released from the confines of her ponytail, while onyx eyes seemed to pierce through Midoriya's very soul. Even without her sharp eyes, nobody could mistake the lithe figure and assured posture of the military's greatest sniper.

"Because I already view my status as a lieutenant to be a great honor, and I don't _need_ a higher rank," answered a cool and collected Momo Yaoyorozu. She gave them all a strained smile. "Pardon me for my rudeness earlier: I forgot to introduce myself. I am First Lieutenant Momo Yaoyorozu. Although I am a sniper, I've been trained in a few hand-to-hand combat techniques."

"Yaoyorozu…" Iida mumbled. Suddenly, realization dawned on his features as he snapped his fingers. "That's right, Yaoyorozu! I knew I heard that name from somewhere. You're the daughter of Major General Yaoyorozu, aren't you?"

"She is my mother," Yaoyorozu confirmed, nodding approvingly. "I assume you're Tensei Iida's brother? He was a very skilled commander; I was fortunate enough to work with him twice before his passing."

Iida's smile became a little more strained, but nonetheless, he powered through. "Thank you. He spoke highly of you in his last letter: I always hoped that I would be able to meet you one day."

The sniper returned his smile, but the conversation slowly trickled away until only an awkward silence remained. Midoriya shifted his weight from his left to right foot, attempting to find any sort of conversation starter to lighten the heavy atmosphere.

Uraraka, surprisingly, was the first to break the silence. "How interesting…" she mumbled to herself.

"Speak up, Round Cheeks."

Uraraka squeaked, caught. "Y-you heard that?"

"Pretty easy to hear you with all of these fuckers lost in their memories," Kacchan snorted, ever the eloquent one. Despite his tone, something about his posture seemed to relax ever so slightly. He shoved his hands into his coat pockets, scowling as he demanded, "Well?"

"It's just that...erm, three of us six have ties to the military," Uraraka explained, pink dusting her cheeks. "I just...well, I never knew that I would make such high-profile friends, you know?"

"It doesn't mean that you all _need_ military backgrounds, though," Iida countered, flashing Uraraka and Midoriya a bright smile. Warmth filled Midoriya's chest, his lips curling upwards and gaze softening. "You two...and Lieutenant-Colonel Bakugou, evidently, are strong and skilled without outside help. It's very admirable."

Midoriya searched Iida's eyes for any sign of deceit or dishonesty, but could only find sincere admiration. "You know, Iida, you got this far through your own efforts and abilities, too," he replied quietly. "Background can only bring you so far."

"Everyone here thinks you're an amazing commander," Uraraka agreed, nudging the captain playfully. "And an even more amazing person."

Pink blossomed on Iida's cheeks as his smile grew wider. "Thank you, Midoriya, Uraraka."

"Although I am not opposed to speaking of such sentimentalities," Yaoyorozu cut in, her voice stern. Her voice was quiet, but held an indisputable authority; unconsciously, Midoriya straightened his posture. "I believe the wisest course of action would be to discuss such matters once we return to camp. Please refrain from such gratuitous talk until then."

"Talking fancy, much?" Kacchan scoffed.

To Midoriya's surprise, Todoroki sent Kacchan a sharp look. " _Bakugou,"_ he warned darkly. The real shocker was the fact that the blonde obeyed, backing down with a "tch." It seemed as if, despite their differing personalities, Kacchan and Todoroki respected each other.

Yaoyorozu hesitated, something akin to embarrassment flickering in her eyes before she adopted her serious, commanding expression once more. "Let's hurry," she said curtly, whipping around. Midoriya observed Todoroki pause for a second before following the sniper; Bakugou quickly followed the Freezing Alchemist's lead.

Uraraka, Iida, and Midoriya exchanged glances. Then, Iida signalled for the remnants of the squadron's attention. Immediately, the troops halted whatever idle tasks they had partaken in, snapping to attention and turning to face their captain.

"We're heading back to camp!" he commanded, motioning for them to follow. "Stay on your guard."

* * *

...they didn't make it back to camp. Instead, their procession quite literally stumbled upon the heavily injured body of an Amestrian soldier. Immediately, Momo motioned for the other soldiers to be on their guard, approaching the soldier cautiously before kneeling to speak with him. Already, she could tell that the soldier wouldn't make it; the rational side of her mind categorized his uniform as a scout's.

The soldier in her wanted to interrogate the scout for answers. The leader side of her — the one that cared deeply for others, the one buried deep underneath her tougher layers to keep herself sane — wanted to offer comfort. Both sides of Momo grappled for dominance, but thankfully she was spared from making a decision between the two.

"Please," he garbled desperately, grabbing onto Momo's sleeve. If she had been a lesser woman, she would've flinched. Luckily, her mother's strict regimen had conditioned the sniper to never hesitate; she never quite met her mother's high standards, but it nonetheless helped in wartime.

Although she tried to meet her mother's standards, Momo could never fully erase the gnawing feeling of self doubt that pooled in her stomach. Back in the day, Todoroki _(Shouto,_ he had often insisted, but Momo could never call him such without blushing a fierce shade of scarlet red) had been the one to keep her doubts at bay. He had given her the courage to move forward and forge her own future…

...yet, somehow, Momo had ended up here. She would've contemplated the _whys_ and _hows,_ but she knew the exact reason. Once upon a time, Momo considered herself a mostly kind girl. Now, she wouldn't dare describe herself in such a way, yet—

Involuntarily, her features softened, hand reaching out to place itself over his. "I'm here."

"No," he pleaded, his grip on her hand tightening. Something in his gaze was wild, desperate. "They're...going...to...attack...camp..."

Immediately, the other officers around her leaped into action. "Colonel, how high can you form your ice?" Iida demanded. Todoroki must have answered, but Momo ignored the buzzing around her. Instead, she allowed herself a moment of weakness and squeezed the injured soldier's hand.

"You did well, soldier," she told him, watching his chest let out one last rattling breath before it gave out. Momo closed her eyes, murmuring a silent prayer before standing up to face the group with blazing eyes.

"Todoroki, I agree with Captain Iida. Lift Lieutenant Midoriya and I with your ice. He's a scout and I'm a sniper."

Todoroki observed her, his expression practically unreadable. Scarlet and ivory locks shielded his eyes from view, but a tiny part of Momo's mind liked to believe that there was concern reflected in the seemingly endless depths of his blue and grey eyes. "It's dangerous."

"We're soldiers: it's an occupational hazard," Midoriya refuted firmly, nodding at Momo. "I know the terrain well enough. There's no time to hesitate."

"Actually," Uraraka voiced, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "If either of you fall, I promise that you'll be alright. I can manipulate gravity...sort of…and I'm sure that Colonel Todoroki and Lieutenant-Colonel Bakugou are capable of ensuring your safety, too..."

Todoroki, strangely enough, looked to Momo for one last confirmation. She mirrored Midoriya's nod, taming her nerves and slipping into a state of focus she often was in as a sniper. Suddenly, ice blossomed before their feet, lifting she and Midoriya _high, higher, even higher—_

"There's a limited amount of routes they can take to attack the camp," Midoriya shouted over the loud roar of the wind. "I believe it's possible they're approaching from the North!"

Momo squinted, eyes darting from side to side quickly, trying to scan for any enemy lifeforms. Desert, rocks, more desert…

 _There has to be someone...something..._

"Near the rocks!" Midoriya shouted, somehow managing to find them quickly. "Movement!"

Her voice caught in her throat as Momo followed the direction his finger pointed at, only to spot several more enemies moving to a place she knew far too well. She called back, "That's not all! They've already taken out some troops and are trying to attack the tower with most of our snipers!"

"Y-Yaoyorozu?" Midoriya squeaked. "How are we going to get down?"

Momo hesitated for a mere second. The rational part of her brain screamed at her for her impending stupid move, but she could see no other immediate method. They had to return with this vital information _fast,_ and Momo knew already from both memories and reports that Todoroki couldn't melt his own ice. This was probably the _craziest_ idea she had in quite some time.

Over the wind, she shouted back, "Have faith in them!"

Midoriya probably replied something, but Momo couldn't hear it over the overwhelmingly loud beating of her heart. If they didn't catch her, she would become a human pancake and the laughingstock of the military; Momo could already imagine the jokes about the hawk that failed to fly. She glanced downwards at the other officers, Todoroki amongst them, who looked like mere specks from her high position. Then, she closed her eyes, inhaling and spreading her arms.

She leaned backwards, letting gravity take its toll as she let herself slip off the ice tower.

Wind rushed past her at rapid speeds, her raven-hair billowing outwards as she quickly approached the ground. It felt as if she was falling faster and faster, even though the logical side of Momo knew that wasn't true. Panic threatened to consume her, but Momo clenched her fists and refused to flail mid-air. She knew Bakugou and knew Todoroki even more. They were skilled enough to catch a falling soldier; if she somehow died, she would come back as a ghost and haunt them, but she doubted that was necessary.

Sure enough, before Momo could hit the ground, warm arms wrapped around her waist, stopping her descent. Like most soldiers, he smelled of gunpowder, but she could detect the faint, familiar scent of sandalwood.

"That was a reckless move," Todoroki intoned quietly, lowering her to the icy floor of his newly-made column. Before them, crystal blue steps began to form. "What if I didn't catch you?"

Before she could stop herself, her lips quirked upwards. "Well, you did...didn't you?" Momo asked cheekily, quickly hurrying down the makeshift stairs. "You always did work best under pressure."

"And I see you've gotten better at such," Todoroki replied, easily keeping up with her pace. They reached the ground in a matter of seconds. Midoriya was already there, laughing awkwardly as both Iida and Uraraka berated him for his recklessness. Bakugou was standing off to the side, scowling at the group and muttering something derogatory about the green-haired scout under his breath.

Momo took a deep breath before intervening in the conversation. "They're going to take out our snipers," she announced, immediately silencing everyone. "They also are on the way to attack camp."

"ETA is ten minutes," Midoriya added quickly, panic crossing his expression. "We won't be able to make it in time to warn camp before they attack, and flares won't work in this weather. I suspect they have alchemists."

"I can take out the ones heading for our sniper tower," Momo declared. "Stealth is necessary, so no need for an entire battalion. Captain, send whoever is the fastest back to camp to warn them. Whoever...is able-bodied enough...should head to the incoming enemy troops to distract them until reinforcement arrives."

"That's a suicide mission!" Iida protested. "I can't make my men—"

"They're willing," Momo said quietly, gesturing to the soldiers surrounding them. She could see it in their eyes; they would be loyal to their country and commanders until the very end. "If the camp is taken out, Ishval will secure a stronghold in this area. It could very well lead to a siege on Central."

Iida looked like he wanted to protest more, but relented. He was too intelligent to not realize the consequences of their failure. "Alright. Midoriya, take Akaita and hurry to camp. Tell them to evacuate the support and send reinforcements immediately," he directed, gesturing to Midoriya and another soldier.

"Actually, sir," the soldier said quickly. "I respectfully refuse. We all know that you and Lieutenant Midoriya are the fastest."

"I won't leave my men to die."

"Sir. Please." His subordinate locked eyes with him. "The best way you could help us is by alerting the camp."

"Captain, enough," Bakugou growled, bristling as he cut into the conversation. "You heard your men. Get your and Deku's asses over there as fast as fucking possible. I'll stay behind with your troops."

Momo watched in fascination as Todoroki whipped around. "Bakugou—" he started.

"Shut up, Half-and-Half," Bakugou barked. "I'm more use here and you know it. Go with Round Cheeks and Ponytail to save our snipers' asses." He made a shooing motion to Midoriya and Iida, who hesitated. "Go on, you assholes! Time's ticking."

"Be safe," Midoriya said quickly, Iida nodding his agreement. The two quickly turned around and began _running_ towards the camp at speeds that made Momo dizzy; they definitely were the fastest amongst them.

"Go now," Bakugou commanded.

"Actually," Uraraka cut in, her voice like steel. "Let me stay with you, lieutenant-colonel. Please."

Bakugou paused, staring at the chestnut-haired girl's determined expression. He narrowed his eyes, his glare intensifying until it was heated enough to melt through iron. Uraraka didn't flinch, her stance as unwavering as a mountain. Finally, Bakugou relented, "Sure, whatever. Fine. Do what you want. Hawk's Eyes, get going. Half-and-Half, go with her."

"I can do it by mys—"

"Let's go, Yaoyorozu," Todoroki grabbed her arm. "Innocent lives are at stake."

She'd hardly call them innocent, but the snipers were certainly not expendable. Momo stared at the resolute faces of the troops, saluted them, and nodded at Todoroki. "Follow me."

* * *

 **The plot for the entire story has been officially mapped out so ey. Chapter total is tentatively at 26.**

 **(tdmm next chapter i promise lmao)**

 **Feel free to leave a review :)**


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